History

The Origins of Rugby in Asia

The history of Rugby in Asia dates back nearly as long as that in England, where the world’s first rugby football union, the RFU, was established in 1871.

British colonialism‎ (via the East India Trading Company) introduced the Game to many countries during governance of the Straits Settlements in South East Asia, Hong Kong in the East and the Raj in South Asia from the late 19th century and in the early 20th century.

Ceylon team, 2nd Asian Rugby Football Tournament, Bangkok ~ 1970

In 1879, the first ‘union’ was founded in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. Rugby was also introduced in Japan before the turn of the 19th century.

Gymkhana club members introduced the Game in Karachi, marking out a pitch on Bath Island in 1925, for the first rugby ‘season’ there.

The annual Singapore Cricket Club 7s, which started in 1946, is one of the world’s oldest ongoing tournaments.

The Malaysian COBRA club claims to have started the 10-a-side variation of the Game in 1967.

The Asian Rugby Football Tournament (ARFT) was established in 1969. It is the second oldest international Rugby tournament in the world. From 2009-2014 the tournament was called the Asian 5 Nations (A5N). From 2015, under ARFU’s new name of ‘Asia Rugby’, the tournament continues as the Asia Rugby Championship (ARC).

Western expatriates in the Oil & Gas industry then introduced the Game into the Middle East Gulf states (West Asia) in the early 1970s. In central Asia the Game flourished amongst strong clubs in major cities of the Former Soviet Union until its demise in the late 1980’s and the Game now continues under National Governing Bodies.

Hong Kong 7s Team 1976

The Hong Kong 7s, which started in 1976, arguably put Asia on the global Rugby map. The annual Sevens World Series tournament was a driving force behind the phenomenal growth of 7s and to Rugby’s re-introduction into the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and is on the ‘bucket’ list of events to attend for anyone associated with the Game in Asia.

Asia has been represented at every Rugby World Cup (RWC) since 1987 by Japan. In 2009, the Japan Rugby Football Union became the first Asian union to be awarded the right to host the RWC (in 2019).

Today, Asia Rugby’s membership spans a vast territory from Mongolia in the north to Indonesia in the south and Lebanon in the west to Guam in the east.